catalyst-chicago.org

Presented by Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, Catalyst Chicago and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research

Adopted last year by Illinois and 43 other states, the Common Core State Standards are an ambitious effort to raise the bar of K-12 student achievement to one that is on par with the best education systems in the world.  Illinois is part of a 26-state consortium that is developing a new testing system for implementation in 2014-15. It is expected to show that students statewide have a lot further to go than ISAT exams have suggested.

The new CPS’ administration has embraced the Common Core as a reform centerpiece and plans to implement the new standards district-wide in 2012-13, one year earlier than required.  A related reform goal is to create an integrated preschool-to-12 system so that teaching and learning move steadily from the start toward college and career readiness.  The sweeping overhaul of the central and field offices is aimed at that goal.    

Many educators are enthusiastic about how the new Common Core standards promote deep learning and critical thinking across multiple grades. Others worry about how the new demands for accelerated learning will affect the early grades and connect to the Illinois Early Learning Standards for PreK. Realizing the full promise of the new standards in every classroom for every student will be a daunting undertaking.

In our 2011 Chicago School Policy Forum Series, key leaders will discuss where the standards came from, how they will be measured, and what they could mean for educators, parents, schools, districts, and other stakeholders. 

Please note the change in time for this series. Each forum will be held over breakfast at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. The program will begin shortly thereafter, concluding at 9:30 a.m. All forums will be held in the Main Lounge on the 2nd floor.

REGISTER AND PAY ONLINE
OR
DOWNLOAD A FORM TO MAIL OR FAX

Common Core Standards: The Promise and the Peril

Speaker | Michael Cohen, president, Achieve
Responses | Noemi Donoso, chief education officer, Chicago Public Schools;
Gillian Dowley McNamee, director of teacher education, Erikson Institute

Beyond Multiple Choice: Teaching and Assessing under the Common Core

Speaker | Chris Koch, Illinois state school superintendent
Responses | Sam Meisels, president, Erikson Institute;
Dan Montgomery, president, Illinois Federation of Teachers

Implementing the Common Core and PreK-12 Continuum: How Districts and Schools Are Responding

Speakers | Sonja Brookins Santelises, chief academic officer,
Baltimore City Public Schools; Jeff Nelsen, Targeted Leadership Consulting
Responses | Jennifer Cheatham, chief of instruction, Chicago Public Schools;
Kiltae Fernando Kim, principal, Lloyd Elementary School;
Kim Zalent, director, public education program, BPI

PLEASE NOTE: The Union League Club of Chicago maintains a “business casual” dress code (i.e., no jeans, denim, or t-shirts; for men, collared shirt required).

Please direct all questions to Paula Kruger at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest. (312) 641-5570, ext. 241